A/N - Holidays are here, aren't they? Harry has some adventures ahead of them and an opportunity to get his hands dirty and ends up rattling a lot of things. Read and Review.
Shout-out to darkoraclegirl for allowing me to use Jarl from Loki's Family.
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Beta - eri1551
o-0-o
Harry smiled as he stepped out of the Bifrost and arrived on Asgard, it felt good to be home and since his arrival all those years ago he considered Asgard as his home, not Earth. "Welcome home, Your Highness," Heimdall said in his deep rumbling voice.
"Thank you," Harry said with a bow of his head.
He quickly walked across the Bifrost and towards the city and the Citadel. Even after all of those years spent here he was still struck by the beauty of Asgard and how pristine it was, there was no pollution here, no waste and it was like a life in a paradise. He smiled as he saw a couple of seagulls pass above his head and dive towards the water in an attempt to catch their meal. As he approached the city he could hear its usual noise and bustle, people hurried to and from their homes, to buy some kind of ware or another or to meet their friends or acquaintances.
When he passed through the mithril gates of the city he looked towards the horizon and the massive structure of the Citadel, visible in the distance. A building that was the home of his family and the beacon of power inside the Nine Realms. He strolled through the city and saw a lot of people bow their heads as he passed, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He wanted to have some rest and maybe hang out with his friends in the evening.
o-0-o
Harry heard his chamber's doors open as he finished unpacking the bags he had brought with himself from Earth, he looked up and saw Jane walk towards him. "Mother," he said, some respect in his voice.
"Harry," she said with a nod and sat down on his bed. "We need to talk about a few things that you should know."
He looked at her and saw that she seemed happier about something and as he felt her magic it was a bit unstable. No, not unstable, he thought, erratic and chaotic would be more fitting. "About what?" He asked as he sat down on the bed, watching carefully not to do so her dress.
"Things that your father already knows about and you should also know," she said. "I am pregnant."
Harry looked at her and blinked a couple of times, pregnancy was a rare thing among Æsir and it usually happened once per few dozens of years. "You are joking, aren't you?"
"No, I am not," she said. "We had decided that some siblings for you wouldn't be bad and I also wanted to have some children of my own. I love you like my own, but you are still not my son by blood."
"I guess that congratulations are in order," Harry said and smiled. "You know that you were a better mother figure for me than Petunia ever was?"
"Yes," she said and smiled. "I know that, and I will always treat as if you were my son." Her gaze flickered to his halfway unpacked bags. "I will let you unpack those things, but first I will tell you something your father asked me to tell you. You have this week to get used to being here and after that you are expected to resume your training."
"No rest for my poor body?" Harry asked, chuckling a bit.
"You know how important those studies are for you and you know that you can't skip them."
"Yeah," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.
"Good boy," Jean said and smoothing her dress stood up. "I will leave you to unpack and get things organized, but you know where to find me if you need to."
"Not that I will," Harry said as he watched her leave the room.
When she left him alone he went back to unpacking his bags, he knew he could call the servants to get it done, but he was always taught to know how to pack and unpack quickly so that he wouldn't have issues with travelling fast with only a small amount of luggage. It that was usually required during solo hunts or in small groups where speed was crucial and the rest didn't matter too much. Asgard wasn't a realm where there was a large number of personal servants that was so common on Olympus or in other realms, no, here servants were in a limited number. He quickly finished putting things where they should be, grabbed a fresh set of clothes and walked into his bathroom to change. After he dressed into warm brown breeches with embroidery along the hem, a short-sleeved red shirt with golden embroidery and tied his hair into a ponytail, he walked onto the terrace.
Looking around he saw the realm of Asgard in all of its beauty and glory, the graceful buildings, the lush green gardens. the parks and the blue sky that made it look like a paradise and earned one of it's uncountable names - the Realm of Gods. He smiled when he looked at the Academy, it's massive form floating above the ocean, a silent reminder of how dangerous Asgard could be. It also made him think about Illyana who was inside it and reminded him that it wouldn't be a bad idea to meet her and talk for a while.
Stepping onto the railing of his balcony he opened his wings and jumped. His wings almost immediately caught lift and propelled him through the air, each move moving him closer and closer to the Academy. He smiled when he saw Illyana walk mindlessly along the edge of one of the many terraces placed on top of the arms of the Academy.
o-0-o
Illyana almost jumped up when she heard something fly closely behind her, when she turned around she saw Harry standing there with a smile on his face. "How did you get here?" She asked as balls of energy appeared in her hands .
"Flew," he said with a mischievous smirk. "I can fly and you should know it. Also aren't you happy to finally see me."
"I am," she said and launched herself at him. "I missed you."
"Not only you," he said as he felt her squeeze his ribs. "I have ribs and they would enjoy being in one piece."
"Sorry," she said and released him. "It's just that I missed you and it's getting hectic now at the Academy."
"Exams and trials?"
"Yes," she said and sighed. "Trials are easy as it is just usage of magic, but exams..."
"But exams are mainly about theory and it can be hard," Harry finished for her.
"How?"
"You can thank my uncle for that, he decided that even if I won't be attending the Academy, I should face the same kinds of tests and exams you are facing. Just more creative and focused only on the fields I was taught."
"How much more creative?"
"You don't want to know," he said and smiled. "At least I can do this." Above his palm appeared a small flicker of fire.
"Did you just..."
"Summon flame from nothing?"
"Yeah," she said, some awe in her voice. "I can do it, but it takes me a lot of time."
"As it takes everybody that has just started to learn magic." Harry smiled reassuringly. "Give yourself a few more months and you should be able to do it as easily as I can."
"Aren't you supposed to be summoning lightning and thunder?" she asked and looked at the clear sky, with not a single spec of cloud.
"I know that I can," he said and added with a grin. "Energy blasts or runes are nicer than lightning bolts or thunders, also Mjolnir strengthens my father's magic and control over weather."
"Even if magic and all of this is enjoyable, I highly doubt that you are here because of that," she finally said and saw him nod.
"Did you have an opportunity to see thee more enjoyable parts of the city?"
"When was I supposed to do that with all of the studying thrown at us?" she frowned. "I mean I wake up, listen to those lectures, spar for a few hours, study for a few more, spend an hour or two in the library, drag myself back to the dorm and fall asleep completely exhausted and that's most of my time."
"But today you have some free time and tomorrow as well, right?"
"Yeah..."
"So what would you say about having some fun? I'm paying as you aren't going to be the only invited person."
She looked at him for a moment considering if he was joking and after that if it was worth to accept his offer, it was a tempting one. A really tempting one. After a moment a wide smile appeared on her lips and she nodded. "You convinced me, but who else is coming?"
"Ulf, Atalanta and Hrolf," Harry said and looked towards the Citadel. "Do you know how to get to the entrance of the Citadel?"
"Your uncle taught me well before I was taught any actual magic here," she smiled and showed him a pendant with a couple of runes inscribed on it. "So the answer is, yes, I know how to get there."
"So we will meet there an hour before sunset, early enough to avoid the biggest crowd and find a decent place without paying more than the price of a small palace" he said and grinned. "Until then, have fun studying."
She growled and wanted to punch him, only to find him flying away, she was able to see his black wings beating in the air as he flew from the Academy and towards the Citadel. With each passing moment becoming smaller and smaller.
o-0-o
Harry almost winced when he felt Ulf's bear-like hug whatever air remained went out of his lungs, he knew that his friend was always overly enthusiastic, but this was too much even for him. "Air," he wheezed. "I need air."
"Are you getting soft?" Ulf asked as he released Harry from the hug.
"No," Harry said as he slowly breathed and checked if all of his ribs were in the proper place. "It's just that you surprised me and I didn't expect you to break all of my ribs."
Ulf looked at him and his lips curved up into a smile. "You have something planned for today, don't you?"
"Go to a tavern or two and have some fun," Harry said and looked at Ulf. "Are you coming?"
"I would need to be insane to turn down this offer," Ulf chuckled. "So, yes, I am coming with you."
"Good," Harry smiled. "It would be boring without you, Hrolf, Atalanta and Illyana are also coming and I want to relax."
"Meat and ale?"
"Yes, did you expect something else?"
"No, not from you as you always think about eating or drinking."
"I'm not that bad," Harry laughed and threw back his head. "You are the one that eats almost constantly."
"I'm still growing," Ulf said and looked at Harry. "Also you seem to be taller an inch or something."
"Someone needs to," Harry laughed as he playfully punched Ulf in the shoulder. "Are you coming or do you expect the wind to carry you through the city?"
"I'm coming," the older boy said as he picked up his saxe knife and slid it into its scabbard.
Harry let Ulf join him before he walked onto the street and from there they walked to the entrance of the Citadel where they were supposed to meet. When they got there, it took him a moment to recognize Hrolf who grew up a couple of inches and was towering over them as he was standing almost at seven feet, also a short, uneven beard was covering his face and there were several new tattoos adorning his arms.
"Is it Hrolf?" Harry asked as he looked at his friend and son of Volstagg.
"It is me," Hrolf said and Harry steeled himself for another bear hug that could squeeze his ribs and break a couple of them. "You seem to be a lot smaller than you used to be."
"Or someone grew up," Harry said as Hrolf hugged him and squeezed almost all of the air from his lungs. "Do you need to always attempt to break my poor ribs?"
"Didn't you get used to our traditional greetings?"
"My body didn't, I did," Harry said with a smile. "Good to see you, I kind of missed you."
"Only kind of?" Hrolf growled.
Harry was about to say something when he heard Atalanta approach them with Illyana following her, both of them were dressed in clothes similar to him and the rest of his friends. Comfortable breeches in dark color and a shirt in some brighter color, Atalanta had a similar saxe knife on her belt, while Illyana settled for a more graceful dagger. As he looked at them, he saw that they had changed. Illyana was a couple of inches taller and her hair were now braided into quite a short ponytail, while Atalanta was more confident than she used to be, her pitch black hair were braided into a simple braid that fell to around middle of her back. She had threads of gold and silver woven into her hair, which made them shine whenever she moved. "Boys, you can kill yourself when you are in the wrestling ring or at a later date. Now we wouldn't mind some enjoyment and spending time in a more peaceful atmosphere."
"Of course," Harry said as he saw her eyes darken, as if in a warning to behave. "So shall we go?"
"We shall," she said and kissed him on the cheek. "I missed you, Harald James," she whispered.
Harry felt warmth spread across his cheeks and was very, very grateful for the fact that his face was hidden in a shadow cast by the building. "Ladies first, " he said with a bow in her direction.
She smiled and walked past him, he let her get a bit ahead of him and he joined her. They walked through the streets of the city, heading into a part he rarely visited, at least in the past as he was too young to be let on his own into it. But now he was mature enough to survive there and enjoy himself, so he was going to spend a lot more time there.
Looking around he quickly saw that decor was different than it was in the rest of the city and it was less grand, but far more inviting to stay here. Buildings were mostly built out of wood and stone, with a few small exceptions where golden metal was used, so common anywhere else on Asgard. The way they were built made everybody feel more at ease as there was no feeling that everything around them was imposing and large, trying to show that it was the best.
He blushed lightly when he saw a pair of girls that were more naked than dressed smile at them and giggle when they noticed his stare. Even if he wasn't paying them any attention, they looked good with their hair with threads of gold and silver weaved into them and toned bodies. He shook his head and focused on the road ahead.
"Any suggestion of a good place to choose?" Harry asked as he looked at Hrolf. "After all you probably spend a lot of time here."
Hrolf looked around for a moment and pointed at a large tavern built mostly out of wood and stone with the famous golden material, the trademark sign of Asgard, being only in its foundations. "If I had to pick, that is probably the best place if you don't want to deal with unwanted guests, though brawls are common."
"Where aren't they?" Harry asked as he entered the building and looked around.
The floor was made out of roughly hewn wood and was covered in furs of various large animals, notably bears and wolves. From it rose stone pillars that supported the ceiling and they were covered in various scenes from the history of Asgard. Tables were placed in small groups or alone and as Harry's gaze ran over the room it settled on one of them by one of the large windows and a fireplace to the side.
The moment they took their seats they were approached by one of serving maids, who looked at them and her eyes widened when she recognized who was in the group. "How may I help you, Your Highness?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Hrolf?" Harry glanced at his friend. "What would you suggest?"
"The usual," Hrolf said. "Ale for them, mead for me and plenty of meat and bread."
"Of course," she said and with a bow left to get things that were ordered.
"I can see why you like this place," Ulf said, looking at Hrolf. "She isn't the worst girl I have seen."
"No, she's not," Hrolf nodded with a smile. "Also this tavern is generally out of the way and you can have some peace."
"Which is good," Harry said and looked outside when someone's body was slammed into the window, crashed through it, and landed on their table. "The hell was that?"
"Probably a brawl," Hrolf said with a shrug as he lifted the body and hurled it through the remains of the window. "They happen here all the time and this one is probably a bit more vicious."
"We might as well as join," Ulf said and stood up. Harry looked at him, but then nodded and joined him. Hrolf looked at them and also stood up.
"I don't want you to get killed and someone needs to keep you out of trouble," he grumbled.
"We don't need a babysitter," Harry growled as he walked out and was forced to dodge a knife that flew past him. It also gave him a couple of precious seconds to see what was happening on the street.
In the middle of it was standing a boy or teen with long dirty blond hair and growled at the small group of teens and boys that tried to attack him. Harry's eyes widened when he lashed out with his fists and knocked out one of those that attacked him.
"He is good," Harry said and saw Hrolf nod.
"Lacks proper training, but has right instincts and knows how to use any advantage presented to him."
"Shall we help him?" Ulf asked as he twirled a saxe knife.
"Yes, but just fists," Harry said. "Most of them will run away when they notice our presence."
Harry looked around and noticed that most of people that were walking through the street tried to stay as close to the walls of the buildings on the other side as possible. Also excluding the occasional curse or cry of pain it was completely silent. The sole teen was keeping at bay his opponents, but it was obvious that he would lose, there were too many of them.
Harry glanced at Hrolf and after a nod from him joined the fight, he slammed into the nearest one and with a powerful kick sent him crashing against the wall of the tavern. The body slammed into the stone and slid onto the street. It was a moment when everybody that took part in the brawl realized that they weren't alone and there was a new group coming.
"So who is going to be the next one that ends up on a wall?" Ulf asked with a smirk as he crackled his knuckles. "You interrupted our meal and now we are unhappy. Good kick, Harry."
"I wasn't even aiming that well," Harry said as he sheepishly smiled and looked at the group that attacked the lone teen. "How fair is it to fight, what was it, twelve to one or eleven to one? Maybe we should even out the odds a bit?" He asked with a glance at Hrolf.
"With pleasure," Hrolf grinned and walked forward. "As our friend said, you interrupted our meal and we don't like it, so someone is going to get beaten. No, not you," he added when he saw lone teen flinch and move away. "We might as well as help you, we are bored and need some entertainment. Also you fight good and it impressed my friend, so lean back and enjoy the show."
"Who are you?" He warily asked.
"Who we are is less important than teaching those idiots about starting a fight in the middle of the street," Hrolf said.
He slammed his fist into the stomach of one of the younger boys and the moment the boy bent over from the force of the strike Hrolf grabbed him and lifted into the air before throwing into the rest of his group, too shocked to react to the new turn of events. They expected a lone person, not a group, especially a group that knew how to fight. They looked between each other and later at him and Harry and Ulf standing behind and decided to turn around and ran.
"Who are you?" Hrolf asked as he placed his hand on the loner's shoulder. "I won't do any harm to you and my friends also won't."
"Jarl, Jarl Brantson," he said. "Thank you for your help."
"No problem," Hrolf said. "Want to join us in that tavern?"
Jarl was silent for a moment, but then nodded. "I guess that I don't really have a choice, after all you just helped me deal with them," he indicated two unmoving bodies that laid on the street. "I would have probably dealt with them on my own..."
"But we have helped you," Hrolf said. "So what do you say?"
"I will come with you."
"Good," Harry said, joining them. "As I won't mind some more company that I actually can enjoy."
"Who are you?" Jarl asked and then his eyes widened when he saw massive wings sprouting from Harry's back. "You are a son of Thor."
"Yes," Harry said and shrugged. "But I usually don't care about that, so don't even think about bowing to me or anything like that."
"Good job," Hrolf whispered into Harry's ear. "You just put him at ease, he is an orphan if I remember correctly, his father was one of my father's vassals before he killed another and was executed for it and his son was left alone. Dad mentioned to me that there was something fishy about the whole thing, so talk gently about it."
Harry nodded and looked at Hrolf. "I know how he feels, you know about my past and how bad it was. So I know how to talk without opening too many wounds."
"Good," Hrolf said as they entered into the tavern and took their places. He snapped his fingers and the maid ran towards them. "For one more person, the usual."
"Of course, sir, it will be done," she said before disappearing.
Harry looked around the table and smiled when tankards full of ale appeared, he sipped some and nodded approvingly, it was rich and bitter, the way he liked it. "If the ale is anything to go by, you chose a good place."
"It is as good as ale gets, maybe even slightly better," Hrolf said. "There is an advantage of having older brothers that know the city well."
"And all of the good spots," Ulf added with a smile. "It reminded me to annoy mine about their knowledge of the city and good spots to have fun."
Harry muted out conversations of his friends and focused on Jarl, he was almost sure that he had heard from his father or grandfather something about Jarl, he just wasn't sure what it was. He tapped Hrolf's shoulder to get his attention. "I will go and talk with Jarl outside, I have a rough idea what is going on with him, but I need something more to fix some things."
"It won't hurt him and if his father gets exonerated, he will get his estates," Hrolf said and smiled. "I don't know why I trust you."
"My charms?" Harry joked, stood up and looked at Jarl. "Can we talk outside?"
"Of course, Your Highness," Jarl said, making Harry sigh.
"What did I say about using honorifics?"
"It's a habit," Jarl said as they walked outside. He faced Harry and Harry could see it in his eyes that something reminded him about his past. "So what do you want to talk about?"
"Your past," Harry said and shrugged. "I know that there was something more to that murder, I know that from many sources but not enough to be sure that there is something going on. If you don't want to tell me, don't, but it will make things easier for you."
"What do you mean easier, Your Highness?"
"Hrolf is Volstagg's son and according to him, your father's title and estate are held in trust, so the moment he is exonerated, well, it is yours. Also not many know it, but well, I'm half-blood Æsir and my childhood was probably as bad as yours or even worse."
Harry briefly smiled when be saw Jarl focus his eyes on him, as well as some of the ice behind them melt.
"So believe me, I'm doing it out of goodness of my heart and you know how to fight and it would be a shame if your talent went to waste," Harry said and shrugged. "I won't force you, but I can help you and I'm not my uncle to leave traps for you and it would mean that you would have a warm bed, a nice house and everything you would need and you wouldn't need to deal with this group." He indicated at group of petty thugs that was lurking around.
"What's the catch?" Jarl asked. "As I know that you have a reason behind it."
"I don't have any reason behind it," Harry said and smiled. "I'm doing it because I can and I want. You don't need to give me an answer now or even today."
"I will accept your offer, Your Highness," Jarl said. "I have a debt towards you and your friends for helping me and I need to repay it."
"Perfect." Harry smiled as he looked at the tavern. "I think that the meal is about to arrive and we can talk as we eat."
"I like this idea," Jarl said and followed Harry back into the tavern.
"What were you talking about?" Atalanta asked in Ancient Greek as he sat down to her side. "He seems more happy about something and you know that I'm good at reading people."
"His past and a few more things, I will tell you later," Harry said and looked at her. "Now I want to eat something good and talk about less disturbing things."
"Such as?" She asked and corrected her braid. "You usually are far less subtle."
"Enjoy the time and have fun," Harry said and saw some amusement in her eyes. "What? The fact that I'm usually less carefree doesn't mean that I don't know how to have fun."
She smiled and chuckled a bit, making him arch an eyebrow. "I wouldn't call you carefree, stupid yes, but not carefree."
"Maybe if you say so," Harry said and smiled when he saw some of the food arrive.
Maids came with giant steaming pieces of meat and piles of other things accompanying them. It made him realize how hungry he was and reached out for it. He hissed as he touched it, it was hot, but he ignored the sensation and bit his teeth into it. He thought that he was used to good food, but this here was even better than the one served in the Citadel, or maybe it was simply different. "It's good," he said between one bite and another.
"That's why I chose it," Hrolf said. "Also the lack of suspicious customers is nice."
"So what are your plans for these few months?" Atalanta asked.
"Have fun and relax," Harry said and shrugged. "Not much else at least for now."
"Have fun and relax," Illyana said with a faraway voice. "Say that at the Academy and you will get thrown out of the window, head first."
"I thought that you were hardworking," Atalanta chuckled and the threads of gold in her hair flickered in the light, making Harry look at her.
"She is supposed to be," Harry said with a smile. "So I don't know what's her problem."
"Maybe because you are a lazy slowpoke that doesn't know how to work hard?" Illyana asked. "So maybe you should stay silent."
Harry was about to say something, when he heard, no, felt a low growl to his right. He looked there and saw Ulf look at them. "Can we not murder each other?" he asked. "I want to enjoy my meal and you can murder each other at a later date."
"Sorry," Harry said and hid his face behind a tankard.
"So did you find or meet any pretty girl on Midgard?" Hrolf asked and Harry could feel everybody's gaze focus on him.
"One or two that I train with from time to time," he said and shrugged. "Not that we lack in this department here."
"Wise words," Atalanta said as she looked at him. "I wouldn't like to injure you too much, but now you don't deserve it, then you did, but not now."
"Thank you, Your Highness," he said with a mocking bow of his head.
He spent a few more hours with his friends eating, drinking and talking about last year and the things he had missed. As he walked back into the Citadel he felt tired, yet happy and really sated. He looked at Jarl who was also walking by his side and a faint smile appeared on his lips, even if Jarl was rough on the outside, he opened up after some time and now was far less afraid of being alone with Harry.
"In the morning I will try to see what I can learn about that trial and investigation," Harry said as they entered into his family wing of the Citadel, he saw Jarl flinch and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, you are with me and you can stay here as long as you wish or want to."
Jarl looked at him and nodded after a moment. Harry walked through a long corridor and into his enormous set of chambers. "The guest bedroom is there," he said, indicating to one of the doors to the right. "Catch some sleep as tomorrow won't start late," he said as his lips curled up into a smile.
"I wouldn't mind some rest," Jarl said and bowed his head. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Geez," Harry sighed. "You will keep using it towards me?"
"Someone needs to," Jarl said and laughed. "Good night, Your Highness."
"Good night," Harry said and retreated into his own bedroom to get some precious sleep. Tomorrow would require a lot of energy from him and now he was lacking a lot of it.
o-0-o
On the next day it took Harry a really long time to fully wake up and get up, he did it when the sun sun came through the window of his room and forced him to get up as the light didn't let him sleep. He quickly washed himself, dressed in more presentable clothes and with Tyrfing on his belt he walked out of the room.
Freki and Geri fell into place at his sides, their amber eyes focused on Jarl when he emerged from his room. "Easy," Harry whispered as he placed his hands on their heads. "He is a friend."
"Who are they?" Jarl asked, instinctively reaching for a knife he had on his belt. "They are too big to be normal wolves."
"Freki and Geri," Harry said and Jarl's eyes widened. "Yes, they were grandfather's, now they are mine."
"Cool," he said. "So where are we going?"
"The Archives, if any full records are at the Citadel they will be there," Harry said and shrugged. "My grandfather stores a lot of things, some have use and some not, but there is everything."
"Sounds boring," Jarl said, making Harry laugh. "What? Did I say something funny?"
"No," Harry said and looked at Jarl. "It's just that you are similar to Ulf, he also doesn't want to spend time among dusty books."
"I didn't have much time to spend between them," Jarl quietly said and Harry looked at him. "Mother died when I was two years old and father was executed when I was seven and after that I landed in an orphanage and you should know that murderers or their families aren't liked."
"No, they are not," Harry agreed with a wince. "Can you tell me how it happened?"
Jarl was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure yet, I'm not sure if I trust you enough. I know that you want to help me, but first I need to trust you more to speak about it, those are painful memories."
Harry stopped walking and looked at Jarl. "You don't need to tell me about painful memories, I have more than a couple of them on my own and I would happily erase them if I could."
"You have?" Jarl asked.
"Yes, I have," Harry said quietly and looked at Jarl, his green eyes meeting Jarl's blue eyes. "My guardians abused me and didn't treat well and I spent seven years in their care, seven bloody years that I should have spent with my family."
Jarl looked at him and Harry wondered if his new friend was going to believe him. Finally Jarl nodded. "I can tell that you are speaking the truth, but it is hard to believe."
"Yes, so will you be willing to tell me about that day? As there is something fishy about the whole thing and even if I look at the reports I won't be able to guess what the missing piece is."
"Fine," Jarl said and Harry looked at him. "I saw the whole thing, yet my testimony was ignored, because they claimed that I was a child."
Harry blinked few times and looked at Jarl. "That makes matters a lot easier," he said with a wide grin. "Since there is evidence ready as they needed to write down what you had said, it means that it is in the Archives and easy to find."
"So what does it mean for me?"
"That it will be done in a couple of hours or days, not weeks," Harry said as he resumed his quick walk, this time with more purpose to it.
The Royal Archives of Asgard were a massive complex of chambers filling a couple of the lower levels of the Citadel, inside of them a copy of every document issued by the Royal Chancery and all of the testimonies and sentences from trials that took place in the realm of Asgard was stored. Harry took a deep breath as he stopped in front of it's massive doors and placed his hand on their surface. For a moment nothing happened, but then they started to slowly open and reveal the massive chambers hidden behind them. He walked inside and stopped in front of one of the consoles with a holographic display hanging above it. He typed a few things on the console and with a frown looked at the results. "What's your father surname?" He asked with a glance at Jarl. "Somehow the name Brandt is a rather popular one, even if it is rather peculiar."
"Gunnarson."
Harry nodded and typed a couple more things and smiled. "Here it is," he said and looked at Jarl. "I know where it is and I was right with it being fishy."
"Huh?"
"What do you know about Rangers?" Harry asked and Jarl looked at him.
"Black cloaks?"
"Same one," Harry said with a grimace as he walked between the shelves, looking for the thing he needed to find. "Also known as Reapers and a few other names, the point is that I think your father might have been one and whoever was murdered by him wanted something regarding his past."
"So why did they ignore my testimony?" Jarl asked and Harry looked at him. "I mean, it doesn't make much sense."
"I don't know," Harry said and stopped in front of one of hundreds of shelves and pulled out a thick folder. He looked at it and nodded. "Since it's done, the next thing," he said and looked around and tried to spot distortions in the air. "Muminn, be a good and helpful Raven and show yourself."
Jarl looked at him as if he was crazy, but Harry ignored it and focused completely on the distortion he was feeling. His feelings were right as it shimmered and out of it appeared Muminn. "What do you want?" Muminn asked as he landed on Harry's shoulder and bit his claw into the fabric making Harry wince. "Go to your grandfather?"
"That could work," Harry said and paused for a moment. "Or what would you suggest, you know the law far better than I do."
"I would suggest the same thing," Muminn said. "As it is a slick thing and probably that judge will lose his head for being a stupid person that doesn't know the law. Thus while you have the power to give those orders, it would be easier if your grandfather did it as he is the king and nobody can attempt to undermine his orders, I mean they can try, but we both know how it will work out."
"Yeah," Harry said with a smirk. "So can you be a good bird and use your magic to move us across the Citadel?"
Muminn gave Harry a look, but Harry ignored it and glared back. After a moment the raven croaked and nodded. Harry felt something prickle his hair on the back of his neck and the next moment they were in the corridor outside of Odin's study.
"How did he do it?" Jarl asked as he looked with wide eyes at Muminn.
"Magic," Harry said and shrugged. "If I was alone I would do it, but I didn't learn how to carry a second person with me."
"One more person isn't hard," Muminn said and Harry glared at the raven. "The fact that I live for five thousand years means something, kid, so don't glare at me and show me some respect. Also I know magic as good as your uncle does or maybe even better, so you can listen to someone that knows the subject."
"Sorry," Harry said and looked at the doors leading into his grandfather's study. He opened them and walked through, Jarl half a step behind. "Grandfather, we need to talk," Harry said when Odin looked at him.
"About what?" Odin asked, his sole eye focusing on Harry who didn't even flinch and then moved to Jarl. "I see that you have brought someone with you, someone I don't recognize."
"His name is Jarl Brantson," Harry said and dropped onto the desk the folder he had retrieved. "His father murdered someone and was sentenced to death, while his testimony was mysteriously ignored."
"Which shouldn't even be considered as a thing to be done," Odin growled and opened the folder. His sole eye quickly moving over the neat lines of runes. He looked up and Harry could see a cold fury burn in the eye of his grandfather. "Guards!"
Two warriors rushed into the room, swords half drawn from their scabbards. "Sire, did you summon us?"
"Yes," Odin said, wrote a thing on a piece of paper and handed it to one of them. "Find him and bring him here, use violence if need be." Guards left the room as if they were ghosts, not making a single sound. "Sit down," he commanded and looked at Harry and Jarl. "It will be fixed as someone was bribed and it was done badly."
"Bribed?" Harry arched an eyebrow. "By whom?"
"If I'm right it is my foolish half-brother and he didn't even do it right. I always knew he was a foolhardy one, but this...," Odin said and shook his head. "But that is for your uncle and cousin to find out. Jarl, I can't return your father to the land of the living, but weregild will be paid to you once you reach the age of majority and until now you will be my ward."
Jarl was silent for a moment, but then he slowly nodded. "I understand, Your Majesty and I accept, Your Majesty."
Odin nodded and looked at Harry. "Show him where his room is going to be and after that introduce him to Sif as she is overseeing the ward's as well as yours."
"Of course," Harry nodded, stood up and looked at Jarl in a manner that told to follow him out of the room. "Whoever your father was, he was someone more important than it seemed," he whispered to Jarl as they walked out. "And that judge will have an interesting future."
"Why do you think so?"
"Oh, you will learn in due time," Harry said and patted Jarl on the shoulder. "Now since you are my grandfather's ward you will have a lot more reasons to spend time with me and learn a couple of things."
"Are you sure?" Jarl asked and made Harry chuckle.
"I know when someone is good when I see it and you impressed Hrolf during that brawl which is more than enough for me," Harry said. "Now let's get you settled in and then you can start polishing your abilities."
Jarl smiled and Harry spent the next couple of hours showing him around and after that spared with him, focusing on wrestling and martial arts which ended with both of them sporting more than a dozen of bruises from getting beaten, kicked, thrown and slammed into the walls of the room.
o-0-o
Jarl entered his rooms after the training session and looked around, he never expected to see such things again, for the last few years he was happy to have a night of sleep without any interruptions or no issues with petty thugs and bullies. Now he was a ward of His Majesty, which meant being given the same education as any of his family members and access to the very best the Kingdom had to offer as well as an opportunity to get high positions at court or among the ranks of military.
He entered his bedroom and stripped out of his clothes, throwing the leather protections to the side and then removing all of his clothes that were soaked with his sweat. He was too tired to put them orderly, so he simply left them strewn across the floor. He breathed out in relief when he didn't feel sweaty fabric touch his body and walked into the bathroom where he eagerly slipped into the warm bath that was awaiting him. He hissed when he felt the water touch his skin. "Life can be good, life can be really good," he said to himself as he laid there.
o-0-o
Harry smiled as he and his friends sat around one of the tables inside the same tavern where they first met Jarl, who during those two weeks changed and his dirty blonde hair got less dirty and more golden, his clothes showed that he was getting over his past as well. While they weren't as richly covered in embroidery as Harry's were, in quality there was no difference between them.
"So you are returning to Midgard for the last two weeks of Midgardian August and you can take some friends with you," Atalanta slowly said and looked at him. "Are you going to divulge who they are going to be?"
"Maybe." he smiled mysteriously and sipped his ale. "I can tell you that they will come from the people seated at this table, but I might not be sure."
"Wiseass," she muttered and sipped some wine from her mug. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and looked at him. Threads of gold and silver in her hair shining lightly. "So could you be more precise as otherwise I might ask Hrolf to bash your head against the wall and keep you still while I probe your mind?"
"You wouldn't do it, would you?" Harry asked and paled a bit as he realized that she was serious.
"You are a deceitful one," Hrolf said and Harry looked at him. "I mean, you started to play this game, not I, so the blame is on you, not on me or Atalanta."
"Fair point," Harry said and sighed. "I might as well tell you as it is my birthday and you would keep all of those gifts away from me, wouldn't you?"
"Maybe, it all depends on how open you are going to be."
Harry rolled his eyes at those words and looked at them. "Hrolf, you are the only one that is here and isn't invited as we both know that your father needs you more and he would be unhappy if I decided to steal you."
"That's unfair," Hrolf pouted and pushed a goblet with something towards Harry. "Try it."
Harry looked at the goblet and picked it up, when he looked at it, he saw a golden liquid that smelled of honey and something exotic. He sniffed the air and it took a moment for him to recognize those smells as spices. He slowly sipped it and the moment he swallowed some he felt as if he was on fire. "What was that?" He asked with a glare at Hrolf who was chuckling.
"How does it taste?"
"Not the worst thing, but it burns," Harry said and paused. "It tastes somewhat sweet and of honey."
"That was mead," Hrolf explained with a smile. "I expected you to throw up, yet you didn't."
"That was mead?" Harry asked as he looked at the content of the goblet. He drunk more and nodded. "Not the worst thing and I kind of like its taste."
"Don't get drunk or we might be in trouble," Atalanta said as she looked at him.
"So what?" Harry asked as he ignored her disapproving look and emptied the goblet. "It's not like we didn't do more stupid things in the past, did we?"
"Well, she has a point," Jarl said. "It is technically illegal."
"Are you all chickens and babies that don't know when breaking the rules is a good thing?" Hrolf asked. "I mean you are almost adults and there is a certain thing around your fourteenth birthday when you are allowed to indulge in mead as much as you want... So what's wrong with trying it now?"
"I guess that you are right," Ulf said and Harry looked at his friend who grabbed a goblet from Hrolf and emptied it in one go. "It doesn't taste that bad and it is certainly better than ale."
"And much stronger," Hrolf said with a smile. "So if you don't want to get totally drunk be careful."
Harry nodded and looked at Hrolf who willingly poured him another goblet. "So what is this thing around our fourteenth birthday?"
"You will see, I know what it is, but you will learn at the proper time."
"Pretty please?" Harry pouted.
"No," Hrolf said and shook his head. "It is tradition that you learn about it a couple of weeks before it, not a whole year ahead, so be patient. I can just tell you that you will enjoy it, a lot, so what do you say about more mead?"
"I guess that we can try," Atalanta said and Hrolf smiled. "But if we get caught, it will be you who will get murdered."
"Pleasure is worth a lot," Hrolf said and laughed. "So getting injured doesn't really matter and you know that my father's is eager to forget a lot."
"True," Harry said as he emptied his second goblet.
o-0-o
Harry walked onto the training grounds and tried to stay straight as he looked at Sif, his head was throbbing and he narrowed his eyes to shield them from light which irritated them. "Is the whole world spinning?" He asked as he looked at Jarl, Ulf and Atalanta who stumbled onto it.
"Yeah," Ulf said and winced. "And there is this small dwarf jumping up and down inside my head."
Harry was about to say something when he felt a looming presence enter the training grounds and stop behind them. He slowly turned around, trying to keep his balance and came face to face with Sif. "Good morning, Lady Sif."
"Depends for whom," she said and her eyes narrowed as they swept over their faces. "How much mead did you drink last evening?"
"We didn't drink any," Harry said and looked at Ulf. "We just had some fun."
She snorted loudly and Harry looked at her. "I saw far better lies and far more convincing ones and I know when someone was drunk." She proceeded to berate them and by the end of it Harry looked as if he wanted to hide.
"Since you think that breaking the rules is fine you won't even touch your weapons for the next few days," she growled and they looked at the ground. "Now, let's go for a pleasant jog, thirty miles or so should be more than enough."
"What?" Harry asked, his temper flaring up. "We do our normal exercises, so what's the point of it."
"Punishment," she flatly said. "And you need to burn alcohol out of your body, so let's go. If your speed won't satisfy me, we will be running back and forth until you are able to think."
Harry was about to say something when he saw Atalanta look at him. "We asked for it, so don't protest as she will add more."
He nodded sadly and started to run after Sif, trying to catch up to her, which proved to be a hard task as she set a tempo that could only be described as murderous and harsh. It seemed as if his good luck run out for this break and it could get only worse as his so far carefree holidays were gone. He sighed and braiding his hair backwards looked at Ulf and Jarl who seemed not to care about the whole thing and tried to run as evenly as they could, while Atalanta was glaring daggers at him and if looks could kill, hers would most likely achieve it.
Several hours later Harry managed to enter his room and almost immediately needed to support himself as Sif was brutal with their punishment. She had kept them running until they started vomiting from exhaustion, she let them catch some breath and did it over and over again.
He managed to get into his bedroom and throwing his dirty clothes somewhere to the side he crawled into the bed and didn't care about the fact that he smelled of several things. He simply wanted some rest and an opportunity to forget about this day.
o-0-o
Fury smiled as he entered one of hundreds of offices located within the Pentagon, even if it wasn't SHIELD territory he felt at ease here, spending more than a couple of days a month at various meetings and briefings about the events around the world or asking for some help from armed forces. However on this trip he had a different target in mind.
"Nick," General Robby Jackson warmly greeted him. "What brings you to my humble office?"
"More pleasant business than normally," Fury said and sat down in one of comfortable looking chairs. "Your niece and a certain friend of hers." He frowned and looked at Robby. "Better would be two friends that have certain gifts."
"Beaubier and Thorson?" Robby asked with arched eyebrow. "Or is my memory not working and I can't keep track of such visible people."
"Those two," Fury said, his lips curling up into a weak smile. "They are part of the group that I want to assemble, your niece is also there and it would be good for them to spend some time together. Preferably at Xavier's as it is one of few places which are heavily defended and allow mutants to develop their powers in peace."
Robby looked at him and nodded. "And my dear brother-in-law lacks any kind of brain to think that his daughter can be better than his precious sons." He sighed and slowly shook his head. "I don't know how it is possible for us to be related by blood and not kill each other, I know that Carol won't mind the change, but he will oppose."
Fury chuckled and looked at the photo of F-15SE on the wall. "Should I get him an one way trip to the wilderness somewhere in Africa? As I can easily get him sent there or anywhere else out of the way."
"No," Robby winced, "He is still a part of my family and I haven't fallen so low as to kill those I dislike. I will talk with my mother and she should be able to convince him to change his mind."
Fury shuddered and took a moment to compose himself. "If she is as formidable as she was when she was a Director I fear for him."
"She is that good," Robby said with a nod. "She doesn't care about how loud she is and when she is unhappy it can be seen and heard. So she should be able to convince him and he will beg Carol in his knees to move to Xavier's."
Fury chuckled softly as he tried to imagine that scene. "So can you get her to attend Xavier's?"
"Yes," Robby said and looked at Fury. "Do you want anything else from me or is this everything?"
"Everything," Fury said. "I'm not a bloodthirsty mosquito that sucks as much blood as it can get, I'm more of a patient predator."
"As if it mattered," Robby said. "So get out of my office, knowing my luck there is a long line of people that want something from me and my time's too precious to waste on small talk."
"As you wish," Fury said with a bow of his head. "I will be gone before you see me leave."
o-0-o
Peter Wisdom looked at the piece of parchment he was holding and laughed, laughed loudly as those news were of the most amusing in his long and bloody career. His laughter echoed loudly in the confines of his office and made the only other person in it look at him. It took him a moment before he finally composed himself and looked at Amelia Bones. "How sure are you that this is not a fake?"
"As sure as I can be," she said and shrugged. "Fudge needs support and Umbridge probably came up with this idea, reasonable and her doesn't work. She is too stupid to think clearly and if she thinks she can pull it off, the next thing she does might be completely insane."
"As if declaring a war on Asgard didn't fall into the category of suicide," he said grimly. "We both know what Thor or Loki can do on their own, but we also know that no great power will tolerate some minor state declare a war on them and we might see a furious Odin paying us a visit."
"Which honestly speaking might not be a bad thing," she said and he arched an eyebrow. "My cousin is attending Hogwarts and he said that during last term they had gotten a trip to Asgard thanks to Loki. And I think that you can guess what kind of a game Loki is playing."
"Yes," he said and winced. "It works, but it needs few years to bring the first big fruits, until then we need to deal with our resident idiots. Resident idiots that even lack the spine to do something brave..." He paused and with a smile looked at her. "I think that I might have an idea about how to hurt Dumbledore and Fudge at the same time."
"Go on."
"Technologically wizards here are in the late nineteenth century, if not even earlier," he said and saw her nod. "While the world is constantly advancing, technology is getting better and better as well as the view on many issues is changing. I know that Stark and Worthington worked with MACUSA in the past and know how to work with magic."
"I think that I know what you are trying to achieve," she said. "You want to show to the younger generation that there is something more than parchment and quills and that you can do something more than play Quidditch or read books."
"Yes," he smirked and looked out of the window. "If you look anywhere around you see everything develop and changing, while most wizards are far behind our time."
"So Hogwarts will be your first target?" She quietly asked. "Or do you plan something else?"
He was silent for a moment and turned to look at her. "Three things, I thought about suggesting to them either acquiring the Daily Prophet or making their own newspaper, just so that the Ministry needs to work hard for their propaganda and focus on St Mungo's and Hogwarts. Those two things need modernization of just about everything and it needs to be done as soon as possible."
"Hogwarts is a gamble," she said and he looked at her. "I know that Loki forced some things onto Dumbledore and I would let those things happen first, while watching how they accept them. Too much might be a shock, St Mungo's and another newspaper won't be the worst thing as everybody will see it and it will be a nice jab at the Ministry."
"That they are useless and spout nonsense that shouldn't even be published as does every politician?"
"No," she said and shook her head. "That they are stupid and anger everybody around us, something that will bite them sooner rather than later."
He laughed and she looked at him. "Every reasonable person would agree with you that making your neighbors pissed off, not to mention great powers, is suicidal and shouldn't even be thought about, unless you have a big enough stick to make an attack at you a costly endeavor. Now think what wizards have to scare away SHIELD, us or Asgard?"
"Nothing," she said quietly. "Not a single thing."
"Exactly," he smirked. "While SHIELD has tactical warheads and probably Fury managed to get some bigger ones, we have some agents that can carve a bloody path and Asgard, well, Thor is enough."
"So someone will say call and will reveal that the Ministry is with their pants off and asking to be kicked."
"Among other things, but yes," Wisdom said and smiled. "It wouldn't be a bad idea, though there are a few far better ones."
"Still the Ministry getting compromised isn't a bad thing," she pointed out and looked at him. "Do you need me to focus on something in particular?"
"No," he said. "Just try to recruit as many former and current aurors as you can, I have a feeling that they will be needed really soon."
"I will, in fact it is getting easier as not many like Umbridge and while few will die for her, the majority will help anybody that can promise her being thrown out of the office," she said and walked out of the office, but before closing the doors she paused and looked at him. "You need to hide better who you were, it is obvious for me who you were and a lot of aurors will recognize you the moment they can get a better look at you. Also there is your older brother."
He stiffened and looked at her. "Don't mention who I was to anybody, it needs to stay a secret, too many lives depend on it."
"I will, it's just that it is easy to see through," she said and closed the doors behind herself.
He growled and looked out of the window, he needed to do something to hide who he was, even if he wanted to hate her for those words, she was also right and he knew that sooner or later one auror or another would tell his true name and that could be bad. No, it would be catastrophic and the fallout could wipe out MI-13 or at least weaken it.
o-0-o
Harry looked at Ulf and Atalanta and could tell that they were as eager and as nervous as he was, after all it was time for one of the trials that would decide their future. If they would be accepted by society as adults and warriors or thrown out of it and be forgotten. They had only the most basic things they would need to survive and in a few moments they would be dropped in the middle of the wilderness and would need to return to civilization on their own.
"Ready?" He asked, looking at them.
"Yes," Ulf smiled. "I was born ready and I want to be finally appreciated as a warrior, not treated like a child."
"Not only you," Atalanta said. "All of us want to be treated more seriously."
He nodded and at the same time Sif looked in their direction, she was with them in the passenger compartment. "Do you know what you need to do or should I repeat it for one last time?"
"You could," Harry said and she nodded.
"You have to find, catch and kill a deer, after that you need to taste its blood and eat its heart. You need to survive in the wilderness for two weeks and after that you are allowed to return to the Citadel," she said and they nodded. "You will have only the most basic supplies, so you will need to get your own food, shelter and everything else you will need to survive."
They nodded and at the same time they felt a tremor pass through the hull as the ship that delivered them landed somewhere. They waited for the doors to open and the moment they stepped outside Sif threw three small packages at them. The next moment they looked at her the ship was rising into the air and flying away.
"And now we are on our own," he said as he picked up the package Sif dropped onto the ground and opened it. "Sleeping bag, flint and steel, some food and water, some cloth and that's all."
"The same," Atalanta said. "I guess that we need to get everything else on our own."
"It shouldn't be bad," Ulf said and they looked at him. "Look where we are."
Harry nodded and when he looked around, he almost immediately understood what Ulf meant, they were on a large clearing in the middle of a mixed forest with trees spreading in every direction. He listened keenly for a moment and heard a noise of a stream flowing in the distance which meant that they were not in the worst location possible.
"Yes," he said and looked at Ulf. "We were in similar spots with your father or older siblings, so if we don't get eaten alive by mosquitos we will be fine."
"Yes," Ulf said as he picked up his package. "We need to get between the trees and find a good spot, after that we can go hunting and get the kill out of the way."
They nodded and holding their packages under their arm they started to walk towards the forest, a forest that could provide them with safety, food and everything else they would need to survive. On one hand he was excited as he was eager to test how good he was, on the other he knew that one mistake could cost him his life or his friends' life.
o-0-o
"This should be good," Atalanta said after several minutes of quick walk.
They were on top of a large hill with a couple of massive, ancient oaks growing in the middle of it and surrounded by a circle of dense underbrush. Harry was able to see a small stream in the distance and knew that it would probably mean fish and most certainly fresh water. Overall it was probably the best place they could find in a reasonable amount of time.
"Yes," he agreed and dumped the package onto the ground. "So we leave them on the tree and hunt our deers now?"
"We might," Ulf said. "It's still early and we can outrun almost anything that we will find."
"It's a risky action, but one that can help us a lot," Atalanta said and they looked at her. "If we fail, we will cause a lot of noise and scare away every animal in our vicinity, but if we succeed we will have food for days."
"True," Harry agreed. "So I would take the risk."
"I would also," Ulf said.
Atalanta sighed and nodded. "Then let's get it done, but first strip out of our clothes as we will get dirty and bloody, we will want them clean and not covered in various things. We don't have any spares."
They nodded, quickly stripping out of their clothes, down to the underwear. Once they secured their clothes and had their knives they disappeared into the forest.
o-0-o
Harry ran after a deer he had spotted for himself, each moment bringing him closer to his prey, he could smell its fear and it made him even more excited and eager to get close to it. His legs carried him through the forest, he felt as if he was flying above the ground. He glanced to the sides and he could see the forms of his friends chase their own prey. Showing how deadly and how fast an Æsir could be.
An animalistic howl left his mouth as he managed to get close to his prey, he extended his hands forward and grabbed deer by its hindquarters. It tried to kick him away and get loose, but it was too weak and he managed to stop it. It roared in fear and panic and it made the blood lust in him even stronger.
He managed to get it onto the ground, it's legs thrashing, but he ignored them as he crawled over its body and to the throat of it. He pressed the neck of the deer against the ground and slowly grasped it with his teeth, he could feel its quickened breathing as it struggled in his grip. His jaws snapped shut around the throat, ripping it open and he felt a fountain of blood flow into his mouth, it was hot and bitter, but he drank it eagerly. He swallowed part of the throat he had torn out and he got up, his whole upper body covered in blood.
With a few quick moves of his knife he cut out the still warm and weakly beating heart of the animal. He held it in his hands and looked at the sky. "May the spirits bless us in this Veizlatr, may we shed the confines of childhood to the open sky, and guides us on our journey into adulthood," when he said those words he bit his teeth into the raw, still warm flesh.
He ate quickly, tearing big chunks of meat and swallowing them almost whole, his blood lust quenched once he ate the whole organ, having done that he cleaned his knife, picked up the deer's carcass and started walking towards the place where their camp. When he got there he saw that Atalanta and Ulf were already there, huge stains of blood smeared over their torsos and faces. There were also two corpses of deers, both of them with ripped throats and deep wounds around their hearts.
"You look like hell," he said when he dumped the carcass onto the pile.
"As if you are better," Ulf said. "You are also covered in blood."
Harry looked at himself, at his torso and wings smeared in blood. "Point taken."
"Boys," Atalanta said and rolled her eyes. "Get yourself cleaned in the stream or a lake that is nearby and let me work on the corpses to get as much meat out of them as possible."
"You sure?" Ulf asked. "Or do you want our help?"
"Yes," she said, wiping blood of her face. "Someone needs to do it and I don't trust your skills with a knife to get it done. Besides, I won't bathe with you."
They looked between themselves and later at Atalanta who picked the first corpse, walked away from their camp and started to work on it, carefully cutting the skin and trying not to waste it. She looked like a demon with blood smeared over her clothes and body, there was even some in her hair. Harry glanced at Ulf and with a shrug they walked to the lake they knew was nearby.
Getting to the lake they stripped out of their underwear and placed it on flat rocks just under the surface of the water and let it stay there so that the blood would be washed away by the water. Having done that they jumped into the water and washed themselves from the blood and grime they got when hunting. For a moment they played with each other in the water, but they didn't spend too much time doing it and instead emerged from the water, dried their now cleaner clothes with a bit of magic and walked to Atalanta. When they got back to their camp they saw that Atalanta was done with skinning the animals and there was a rather big pile of meat laying on one of skins of a deer.
"How is it that I can get three deers skinned and their meat prepared while you only managed to clean yourselves?" she asked with a small smile. "Dress yourself into your clothes while I go to take a bath." She walked down the slope of the hill and stopped before disappearing into the woods. "And make a fireplace and some shelter for the night, it seems that it might rain."
Harry put on his shirt and looked at Ulf. "You prepare a fireplace, while I look for wood and something to make our shelter."
His friend growled, but nodded and pulling out his saxe knife started to dig a hole in the ground. Harry smiled weakly and pulling out his own knife he walked into the forest.
o-0-o
Harry carefully moved through the forest, his eyes looking through the trees and trying to find those that were fallen and would be more dry than everything around them. He spotted the fallen trunk of a young oak and walked to it, when he got there he pulled out his knife and started to cut it into smaller, more manageable pieces. The steel blade of his saxe knife easily cutting into the hard, dry wood with a dull sound. He cleaned it of smaller branches and anything that could get in the way, threw it over his shoulder and started to make a way back to the camp.
o-0-o
They spent most of their first day getting a supply of firewood and putting together some shelter that would protect them from the most vicious weather and allow some warmth. While it was still relatively warm all of them were thoroughly aware of how cold it could get the moment night arrived. It was not their first time deep in the wilderness, but the first when they were on their own.
Harry looked at the sky which was quickly darkening as the sun was slowly hiding below the horizon and the night was approaching. A small fire was in front of him which was in a hole dug out by Ulf in the ground. "How do you plan to play it?" He asked looking at Ulf and Atalanta.
"We need to spend two weeks here," Ulf said and they looked at him. "I have a rough idea of the place where we are and if I did the math correctly we need six days to get to the Citadel at our normal speed. So we have eight days to kill and do nothing."
"Just wonderful," Harry sighed. "Eight days stuck in the woods and doing nothing productive."
"It is better than another boring lecture on etiquette or diplomacy," Atalanta said as she braided her hair. "So I don't know what's your problem."
"It's just waste of time," he said and stood up. "I'm going to relieve myself."
"Don't get killed," Ulf said, trying to hold his chuckle. "I have heard that predators are drawn to pissing and careless Æsir."
"Very funny," Harry said as he walked down the slope and into the woods.
He stopped when he was far enough not to be seen by them from the hill, he dropped his pants to his knees and started to pee. As the piss left, he felt some of his worries and bad thoughts leave him, as if his body was throwing them out. He finished and pulling up his pants he walked back towards the camp.
"I'm still alive," he said when he walked into the camp. "So Ulf, don't make such jokes as they're not even funny."
The son of Ullr huffed and looked at him.
"Boys," Atalanta sighed. "Kill yourself later, we can't allow ourselves to get wounded or killed, we need to work together."
"Sure," Harry smiled as he slipped into their shelter and into his sleeping bag.
o-0-o
The remaining time of the two weeks passed as boringly as it could get with them doing nothing excluding sitting at camp and hunting from time to time to get food. When they emerged from the forests near the Citadel they were grumpy, frustrated and unhappy that they needed to waste their time doing almost nothing.
Harry almost immediately stormed off into the private chambers of the royal family to get cleaned and find a warm bath to clean himself. He entered his room and inside of it found Thor standing and looking at him, some pride visible in his eyes.
"You did good," Thor said and patted him on the shoulder. "You are no longer a child."
"Thanks dad," Harry said and grabbed a small bag thrown at him by his dad. "Are those?"
"Yes," Thor said and Harry nodded.
He watched his father leave his room and the moment the doors closed behind Thor, Harry walked into his bathroom and opened the bag. Inside of it were several round beads made out of clay and covered in geometrical carvings. He grabbed a small lock of hair to the right side of his head and quickly braiding it, he slipped the hair through the beads. Once it was done he undressed and slipped into the bath, he needed it after those two weeks in the wilderness as at the moment he could smell himself stinking of mud, sweat, unwashed body and blood.
o-0-o
Harry smiled when he saw a black wolf walk through the corridors of the Citadel and morph into a human being as it got closer to him. It was Wolf Prince Hrimhari and one of his uncountable cousins, but that was an advantage of near immortality. "So what does my favorite cousin wants from me?" Harry asked as he looked at Hrimhari.
"Do I need to want something from you?" Hrimhari asked. "Even if I'm leader of the Rangers it doesn't mean that I only show up at the Citadel when I want something from your grandfather or my own grandfather."
"No, I guess not," Harry said and sheepishly scratched his back. "Sorry about that, but I'm used that someone wants something from me whenever they see me."
"You poked hornets' nest and it unsettled everybody," Hrimhari said and with his head indicated at Harry's rooms. "We better move there, I don't trust too many people as that one person was just the tip of an iceberg."
Harry looked at his older cousin and nodded, they quickly walked through his rooms and emerged on the terrace adjacent to them.
"That corrupt judge?" Harry asked as he looked at the gardens below. "The one that was bribed to pass the sentence which got Jarl's father executed."
"Same one," Hrimhari said and Harry could tell that his cousin wasn't too happy about it. "Generally we try to keep track of every single former and active Ranger so that something such as this doesn't happen, but it seems that my information net was disrupted."
"And Jarl's father got killed and the Norns only know who else," Harry spat viciously.
"Yes," Hrimhari growled and his canines transformed into full sized fangs of a wolf. "But that is something with which I will deal, the reason I wanted to talk with you is something else, maybe more or maybe less pleasant than you would like it to be."
"It can't get much worse than this, can it?"
"Oh, it could," Hrimhari smirked. "Don't test how bad something can get as it usually will. Anyways the thing that I want to warn you about. I know that you discovered how good mead can be, but remember that when under its influence you are easier to manipulate and control, so be careful where you drink and with whom as some people have less than stellar plans for you and you being drunk is an ideal moment for them."
"Can't I have some fun during my life?" Harry pouted. "When Sif sniffed out where we were it didn't end too good for us."
"She kept you running even if you were throwing up?" Hrimhari asked and Harry looked at him. "Everybody is a rebellious teen during some part of their lives and I was also one and she was my tutor, so yes, I know her teaching methods too well. Way too well..."
"So I'm not the only one that is scared by her?" Harry asked, making Hrimhari laugh.
"No, not the only one, but you need to admit that she is good," Hrimhari said and handed Harry an elongated wooden box. "A little late for your birthday, but I was busy and you didn't help with it as it made my work harder and you had that hunt of yours."
Harry looked at the box and when he opened it and looked inside a wide smile appeared on his face. Inside of it on a velvet cloth was placed a knife, however it was not a normal knife. It was quite long and a bit wicked, it's blade had the famous and unmistakable silver and gold pattern of mithril and it was over sixteen inches long. Even if the blade was forged out of the best alloy available to Asgard the handle seemed crude and primitive as it was a simple piece of horn cut and polished to shape with a small guard to keep blocked blades from sliding across the blade and maiming its user. To the side there was a leather scabbard for it with two wide strips that allowed to attach it to any place its user wanted to. "Is it a Rangers Knife?" He asked as he looked at Hrimhari.
"It is, I know that another sword or axe will get thrown into the armory, while there is a chance that you might actually use this knife and I know that you wanted to have it," Hrimhari said. "Just don't impale yourself onto it as it would be embarrassing and your grandfather could hang me."
"I won't and thank you,"
"No problem kiddo," Hrimhari said and made Harry roll his eyes. He knew that he was the youngest member of the whole family, but it still annoyed him when someone used kiddo towards him.
"Can you use anything else towards me?" Harry pouted. "I don't need to be reminded how young I am, I feel that Sif will happily prove that I know nothing and that I am young and foolish."
"She needs to or you will get lazy," Hrimhari said with a smile. "So don't complain about her and get to work, or are you retreating to Midgard?"
"Not retreating," Harry corrected him with a wide smile. "Just a cousin invited me to spend some time there, so I'm not running away, I'm just using an opportunity to have some fun in a nice place."
"Good luck, then."
"Thank you, cousin dearest," he said with a bow of a his head. "Can you leave me alone as I need to pack."
"Of course," Hrimhari said, morphed into a wolf and ran out of the room.
Harry smiled looking at that wolf running out of the room, it reminded him of his own animal form. Shrugging off those thoughts he walked back into his bedroom and started to put he would need to take to Earth into the bag.
o-0-o
Harry could feel curiosity bubble under the stoic expression of Ulf, Jarl and Atalanta, even if they didn't show their emotions about the whole thing, he was sure that they were interested and just hid it well. Also even if their expressions were as blank as possible Harry could tell from the way they moved, it showed how excited they were about the whole thing.
"So how is it on Midgard?" Ulf finally asked.
"Interesting and... different than it is here," Harry said with a glance at his friend. "You should like it as you know how my cousin is and you know that he usually has bright ideas."
"Sounds interesting," Atalanta said and looked at him. "Also his girlfriend seems like a nice enough person to be around."
"Or scary," Harry added with a smile. "I mean I saw her tear apart blocks of stone with a thought." He saw them pale a bit. "But usually she is friendly and won't kill you."
"That's good," Ulf said. "I want to remain whole after this trip."
"Oh, you will," Harry assured him and looked at Heimdall who stood on guard in front of the Observatory. "Can you send us to Midgard?"
"Of course, Your Highness," Heimdall said with a bow and when they followed him inside he inserted his sword into the control pedestal of the Bifrost, activating and preparing it for their travel to Midgard.
o-0-o
A/N:
Pregnancy might seem a bit weird, but Thor needs more children just in case Harry gets killed, which considering his lifestyle and hanging out with X-Men is not likely, but also not impossible and if Harry dies, there will be chaos as succession goes from father to son and with Thor lacking any offsprings it means that Loki is third in line to the throne, Balder would be before Loki but he is dead. Loki isn't the most trusted person and his offsprings even less, Hela, Jormungandr and Fenrir are tolerated, but not liked. Hrimhari would have a better chance to be approved, but he is hated by a big share of nobles and other realms for being a wetwork person and one that leads group that has blood of innocent on its hands. So unless they want to have a civil war or play with succession laws Thor needs to have offsprings in case Harry gets killed.
Gender and names are undecided, so suggestions are appreciated. Modern names won't pass, so think first and suggest second.
Coming of age, in most of ancient cultures it was grueling, hard and could be deadly for some participants, here it won't be that deadly, but neither it will be safe. At the moment all of them are thirteen and there are some rituals and sacrifices they will need to make during next two years as they become adults at fifteen. This hunt is more dependant on their tutors/parents deciding that they are ready and can happen at any moment as long as they are prepared, however other things need to be done at proper time.
Veizlatr, it means feast of flesh and it sounds quite well, so I chose it as the name for the first time.
Law and custom, law is written, custom is passed down orally, law is slightly more important than the custom. Generally when law isn't clear custom is taken into consideration, there are no official penalties for breaking it, but as shown by Sif if someone older decides, there can be.
Drinking age, in most of civilizations almost everybody drunk ale or wine mixed with water as it was far safer than water as unless you have plumbing that makes sure that all of the dirt enters the river downstream from the city the water will be dirty and with all kinds of bacteria. On Asgard it is a tradition left by the past as they are too long living to change tradition quickly and their body is nigh indestructible so there are no reasons to change it. Mead is way stronger as normal ale has 1-4% of alcohol, so you can drink it in buckets and you won't feel a lot of hangover, while mead can have 8-75% of alcohol. One Harry tasted was relatively weak compared to those drunk when wanting to ensure foreign diplomat will be easy to persuade, but he isn't used to it, so a goblet or two and his body starts to feel effects of hangover and he drunk much, much more than that.
Also mental age, Asgardians mature mentally much faster than we do. From early age they are entrusted with weapons that can kill you or people around you, no matter what or who are you, it will make you grow up fast. So Harry is much more mature than his age suggest, he is still carefree and goofy when he wants, but he can be dead serious and is able to think first and do later. Which means that he is also given relatively more freedom than any children of the same age would have on Earth.
Saxe knife, many don't appreciate this knife, but for those who don't know, it is probably one of the best and the most ingenious designs when it comes to knives. Putting it simply, it is more of a weapon, it is also a tool that can be used for a great deal of things. So they carry them around at all times as they are useful and in one place they have a hatchet, quite a good skinning knife, weapon, shovel, spear(find a thick enough branch, some rope and voilà, spear ready) and few other things.
Reviews:
Otsutsuki no Yami - I would say thirteen or so chapters, one and a half of an arc ahead before Wizards and Hogwarts, maybe some more. No, Harry definitely didn't meet person named Jean-Paul before.